Tampa, Florida's Must Not Kill draw from thrash metal's aggression, metalcore's melodic bite, and groove metal's hip-swinging heaviness to construct a modern extreme sound with broad appeal. Formed in 2015, they represent the Tampa Bay area's continued tradition of productive metal hybridization.

Los Angeles-based Mutagen trade in black/death metal that favors dark, warring extremes — the atmospheric chaos of black metal pressing hard against death metal's crushing technical framework. Active since 2009, they operate in LA's sprawling underground where genre lines blur under the sheer volume of the city's metal output.

Augusta, Georgia's Mutagen pursue progressive death metal with an ear for complex arrangements and shifting dynamics, standing apart from more straightforward brutality in a state with a rich but often overlooked metal tradition. Active since 2009, the band has steadily developed their technical craft within the Southeast's underground.

Beaver County, Pennsylvania's Mutalist have been excavating the brutal death metal underground since 2012, delivering the genre's trademark pummeling low-end and guttural extremity with uncompromising focus. They represent the blue-collar steel-country grind that has always fed Pennsylvania's metal scene.

San Marcos, Texas's Mutant Disease blend heavy and thrash metal into a hard-hitting hybrid that carries the swagger of the former and the velocity of the latter, landing in the rowdy tradition of Texas speed metal. Formed in 2016, they operate in the fertile Central Texas corridor between Austin and San Antonio.

Brooklyn's Mutant Scum drag sludge metal through New York's gutter, mixing the genre's tar-slow heaviness with punk's frantic energy and street-level aggression. Since 2015, they've added a properly filthy strain of noise to a borough overflowing with heavy underground acts.

Brooklyn's Mutant Supremacy have been one of New York City's most consistent death metal exports since 2010, playing a dense, old-school style that leans on early Florida and New York influences without resorting to pastiche. Their relentless gigging in the local underground has earned them a reputation as a formidable live act.

Chino, California's Mutants of War have been cranking out Inland Empire thrash since 2008, favoring the aggressive, no-frills approach of classic Bay Area and German thrash bands. Their longevity in the region's underground speaks to a dedicated commitment to the genre's core values.

Oakland, California's Mutate have been part of the Bay Area death metal underground since 2008, delivering the kind of dense, grinding heaviness that fits naturally in a region with one of the US's richest extreme metal histories. Their sound leans into the filth and intensity that Oakland's heavy scene is known for.